Crankless engine



A g- A. a. M. MICHELL 1,773,596

CRANKLESS ENGINE Filed Sept. 1; 192a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mfi 17 v INVE'NTOR' ANTHONY GMM/(HELL BY W'WM ATTORNEY g- 9 A. G M. MICHELL- 1,773,596

CRANKLESS ENGINE Filed Sept. 1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AN TH 01v Y 61M. M/cwfu Patented Aug. 19, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTHONY G. M. MICHELL, OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR TO MICHELL- CRANKLESS ENGINES CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK CRANKLESS ENGINE Application filed September 1, 1928. Serial No. 303,460.

This invention relates to improvements in and connected with means for guiding the reciprocating piston-units of crankless engines, especially engines of the type described in Reissue No. 15,756.

In such engines the forces applied to the parts of the piston units external to the engine cylinders have components transverse to the axes of the units and acting in directions varying with the phase of the engine cycle. Various means have been devised for resisting such forces and thus preventing dis placement of the portions of the piston units external to the cylinders from their true axial directions of motion, or, in the forms of construction in which the piston unit comprises two pistons at opposite ends of the connecting member or bridge to which the said transverse component of force are applied, from causing undue stresses or deformations in the connecting member. Examples of such constructions are described in Patents Nos. 1,603,852 and 1,682,924 issued to me on October 19, 1926 and September 4, 1928, respectively, and pending-applications Nos. 176,146 and 252,890 filed by me on March 17, 1927 and February 8, 1928 respectively. The prin cipal purposes of the present invention are to minimize the friction of guide members of the kind in question and to furnish convenient and simple means of assembling and adjusting the parts.

The essential feature of this new construction is the provision on the portions of the piston unit external to the cylinders, of guide surfaces of special form in sliding engagement with corresponding stationary guide members. The said guide surfaces are in the form of two longitudinal channels, one on each side of the plane which contains the axis of the piston unit and the axis of the shaft of the engine, these two axes being paralleled in engines of the types in question.

Various formsof the cmistruction may be employed, typical examples being described as applied to crankless mechanism of certain types and for certain purposes In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is an end view, partly in section of a piston unit constructed according to the invention and of its stationary guides and their support;

1g. 2 1s a side view of the same parts.

Fig. 3 is a half end view corresponding to Fig. l of a modified construction, and

Fig. 4 is partial side view showing a modification of the stationary-guide supports.

Fig. 5 is an end view and Fig. (i a partial view showing other modifications.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the invention is illustrated as applied to a piston unit having two c0- axial pistons attached to the opposite ends of the connecting member or bridge on which the guide surfaces are formed. The same construction is also applicable when there is only one piston. The bridge member 1 has flanges 2, 2 to which the trunk-pistons, or piston-rods, 3, 3, are attached by screwed connection or otherwise. The two extreme positions of the bridge in its working stroke are indicated by the dotted lines 1 1', and 1" 1" respectively. The bridge carries on each of its flanges 2, a slipper-cup 4 in which is spherically-seated a slipper 5, coacting with the slant 6, the centre of each sphere being either located upon the axis 0 0 of the piston unit, or off-set with respect thereto as described in the aforesaid Patent No. 1,682,924, and all such parts being shown as constructed according to Reissue No. 15,756. v

The guide surfaces 7, 7, and 8, 8, of the bridge 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, form two longitudinal channels of triangular section, located on each side of the vertical plane passing through the axes 0, 0 of the piston units and that of the slant 6. The plane faces, 7, 7, and 8, 8, respectively, of each of these two channels are preferably at right angles to each other or nearly so.

The longitudinal motion of the piston unit isguided by these two parts of surfaces 7, 7, 8, 8, coacting respectively with the stationary guide members 9, 10, each of the latter being formed with plane surfacesaccurately fitting the channels of the bridge. The memhers 9, 10 are preferably pivotally supported as by means of spherical surfaces 11, 12 formed upon them, in the socket members 13, 14 which are adjustably attached to the fixed frame 15 of the machine. Pivoted slipper members so constructed are the subject of a prior patent application, Serial N o 299,941. For the adjustment referred to, the socket members 13, 14 are movable transversely to the axis 0,0 of the piston unit, their ositions being determined by the thickness 0 packing shims 16, inserted between their flanges 17 and corresponding faces of the frame 15.

Lubrication of the slippers 9, 10 and the surfaces 7, 7, 8, 8, may be effected by supplying lubricant through holes 18, 19 drilled through the sockets 13, 14, these holes communicating with holes 20, 21, drilled through the slippers 9, 10. Usually, however, the guide-surfaces 7, 8 and the slippers 9, 10 will be sulliciently lubricated by the spray of lubricant thrown off by the slant 6 and other working parts of the machine. Such spray may be caught in recesses, such as 22, formed for the purpose in the upper portion of the bridge 1, and may be conveyed to the guidesurfaces by holes as 23, 24. Such holes serve also to equalize the supply of lubricant between the channels 7, 7, and 8, 8. Grooves 25, 26 are preferably formed longitudinally in the bottoms of the channels 7, 7 and 8, 8 for distributing the oil along them.

According to the modification shown in Fig. 3 the sides 7A, 7A of the guide-channel of the bridge 1 are curved, the guide-surfaces 7A being thus portions of cylindrical surfaces generated by lines parallel to the axis 0 of the piston unit. The slipper 911 has similarly curved working surfaces.

Fig. 4 shows a method of adjusting the location of the fixed slippers, so as to move them towards, or away from, the axis 0 O of the piston-unit as well as in the transverse direction as described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. In order to effect the former adjustment the socket member 13A has its external surface 27, fitting the casing of the machine, formed eccentric to the ball 11 of the slipper 9. By turning the socket member 13A about its own axis the slipper 9 can thus be moved towards or away from the axis 0 0. The face of the frame to which the flange 16 is bolted, may be provided with numerous bolt holes 28 arranged on the same pitch circle as the bolts 29 of the flange, so that the socket member 13 may be held in any one of numerous angular positions, each corresponding to a different location of the slipper 9 relatively to the axis 0 0.

According to the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 the slippers 9B and 1013, instead of being provided with convex ball surfaces as 'shown in Figs. 1 to 3 are formed with concave spherical recesses fitting the ball shaped heads 30, 31 of the supporting members 13B and 1413 which are fixed in the casing 15 and secured by the nuts 32, 33. Shims 16 may be provided for effecting transverse adjustment of the location, and as shown in the lefthand half of Fig. 5 the ball-head 31, may be eccentric to the cylindrical shank 34 of the supporting member 1413 so that by turning it about its own axis, and locking it as by a pin 35, entering one or other of the circumferential holes 36, the location of the slipper 10 in the vertical direction may also be adjusted. As shown in Fig. 5, the portion of the bridge member 1 on which the guide surfaces 7 7, 8, 8 are formed may have an elongated X form, having a central web portion 37, thus giving great transverse rigidity and strength to the member as a connection between two pistons. The web portion 37 may have openings 38 formed in it to permit inspection of the slippers 5 While in operative position in the engine. To facilitate such inspections and to permit removal of the bridge member 1 after it has been disconnected from the pistons, the engine casing is preferably formed with a wide external opening which may be closed by a cover 39.

When the transverse forces acting outwardly on the bridge 1 are greater than those acting inwardly, or vice versa the guide sur faces 7 7 may preferably be unequally inclined to the vertical as shown in Flg. 6, and the inner face of the supporting member 130 is then terminated obliquely as shown to correspond with the resulting position of the slipper 9.

What I claim is:

, 1. In a crankless engine having a shaft, a cylinder, and a piston unit, a member affixed to the piston unit external to the engine cylinder and having on each side of the plane passing through the axis of shaft of the engine and the axis of said unit, guide surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, and bearing members of corresponding shape supported on stationary parts of the engine, and fitting said surfaces.

2. In a crankless engine having a shaft, :1. cylinder, and a piston unit, a member affixed to the piston unit external to the engine cylinder and having on each side of the plane passing through the axis of shaft of the engine and the axis of said unit, angularly disposed guide surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, and bearing members of corresponding shape supported on stationary parts of the engine and fitting said surfaces.

3. In a crankless engine having a shaft, a cylinder, and a piston unit, a member aflixed to the piston unit external to the engine cylinder and having on each side of the plane passing through the axis of shaft of the engine and the axis of said unit, angularly disposed guide surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, adjustable supports, hear-- ing members having faces corresponding in shape to those of said channels and fitting said surfaces, and pivotal connections between the supports and the bearing members. 4. In a crankless engine having a shaft, a cylinder, and a piston unit, a member afiixed to the piston unit external to the engine. cylinder and having 011 each side of t e plane passing through the axis of shaft of the engine and the axis of said unit, angularly disposed guide surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, bearing members of corre- I sponding shape supported on stationary parts of the engine and fitting said surfaces, supports for said bearing members, and means for adjusting said supports laterally and longitudinally.

'5. In a crankless engine having a shaft, a cylinder, and a piston unit, a member aflixed to the piston unit external to the engine cylinder and having on each side of the plane passing t-hroughthe axis of shaft of the engine and the axis of said unit, angularly disposed guide surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, bearing members of corresponding shape supported on stationary parts of the engine and fitting said surfaces,

, supports for said bearing members, and

- means for adjusting said supports laterally and longitudinally, said member bein constructed with an oil recess and provided with ducts from said recessto said channels.

6. In acrankless engine having a cylinder and piston unit, and guiding means for the piston unit comprising a member having oppositely disposed bearing surfaces, and a pair ofspivotally mounted bearing members having surfaces coactingwith the bearing surfaces of said member.

. i 7. In a crankless engine having a cylinder 40 and piston unit, and guiding means for the piston unit comprising a member havingtoppositely disposed bearing surfaces, and a pair of pivotally mounted, oppositely facing, bearing members having surfaces coacting with the bearing surfaces of said member.

i 8. In a crankless engine having a cylinder and piston unit, and guiding means for the piston unit comprising a member having oppositely disposed bearing surfaces, and a pair of self-alining bearing members having surfaces coacting with the bearingsurfaces of said member.

9. In a crankless engine having a cylinder 1 and piston unit, and guiding means for the piston unit comprising a member having a bearing surfaces forming spaced longitudinal channels, and a pair of pivotally mounted. bearing members having surfaces coacting with the bearing surfaces, of said member. an ANTHONY-G."M. MICHELL. 

